D’Amore Duo

Founded in 1991 to investigate the little known wealth of chamber music for oboe and guitar, the D’Amore Duo has toured internationally and domestically to enthusiastic reviews.

The Duo has released three critically-claimed recordings, and performed at such venues as St. Martin in the Fields in London, the Yale Centre for British Art, the National Cathedral, the Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Spanish Institute in New York, the Smithsonian Institution, and live on ABC International Radio out of Sydney, Australia.

The Washington Post referred to the Duo as a “perfect partnership of sound” and lauded their performance as “one of the most uniquely satisfying concerts of the season.”

William Feasley

Born in Roseburg Oregon, William Feasley was the first guitartist to receive Peabody Conservatory’s coveted Artist Diploma. Since making his debut in 1980 with the San Francisco Ballet performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for Lou Christenson’s ballet, Don Juan, Feasley has mainted an active international touring schedule. A student of Andres Segovia, he has been a featured performer at international guitar festivals in Poland, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Bolivia, Australian, Slovakia, and Peru. Feasley has also toured extensively for the US State Department.

His playing has been described by the Washington Post as sounding “in the words of Segovia, like a ‘small orchestra’ in the variety of colors coaxed from a single guitar.” He has released six critically-acclaimed recordings for the Sonora and Center Earth Labels.

Emily Tsai

Quoted by DMV Classical as having, “a consistently lovely tone and [taking] her melodic twists and turns with stylish assurance,” Emily Tsai began her musical studies on the violin at the age of four and started the oboe when she was 10 years old. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in oboe Performance from the Eastman School of Music with a Performer’s Certificate and the Chamber Music Award, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Rochester, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She received her Master of Music from the University of Maryland, where she was part of the Graduate Fellowship Quintet, SIREN.

Emily was a top finisher in both the Eastman Oboe and University of Maryland Concerto Competitions. She has also participated in the AIMs Festival in Austria, the Moritzburg Music Festival in Germany, the Alba Music Festival in Italy, the Sarasota Music Festival, and many others. Her primary teachers were Mark Hill, Richard Killmer, and Malcolm Smith. During Summer Festivals, she also studied under such prominent oboists as Neil Black, Allan Vogel, Werner Herbers, Randall Ellis, John Ferrillo and Robert Sheena.

She is currently Principal English Horn in the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the internationally acclaimed woodwind quintet, WindSync. She resides in Washington, D.C., where she is an active freelance musician and on the faculty of the prestigious Holton-Arms School.

Reviews

“One of the freshest, most original concerts of the season… an evening of great satisfaction and solid discoveries for chamber music connoisseurs…”
–Joseph McClellan the Washington Post

“The pairing of oboe and guitar makes a substantial unit deigned for delicacy and the fullest expression. A large audience showed plenty of interest in the possibilities and were not disappointed in the masterful skills of the two exponents.”
–Allan Francis, The Press Christchurch New Zealand

“Individually they are excellent technicians, first-rate musicians and impressive interpreters os a wide range of music. Together, they are a perfect partnership of sound, imbuing their performances with an elegant sense of style…”
–Judy Gruber The Washington Post

“The D’Amore Duo seemed to be as one when performed both musicians were technically perfect. The brilliance of the guitarist is well known to New Zealand audiences from past tours and the phrasing, style and musicianship of the oboist is awesome..”
—Otago News Alexandra, New Zealand